episode_0179

Episode 179. Anatomy of the Gastrointestinal Tract (2)

****

Amy took off her gown and gloves for a moment to write down what she had just learned. Linea was drawing in her notebook.

There was still one organ left.

The next order of business is the large intestine. The large intestine goes up, then to the side, and then back down. It’s like making a big circle around the abdominal cavity.

I don’t really know why.

Is it because there is not enough space? Since stool is solid, is it because the large intestine is twisted in a disorderly manner like the small intestine, and is it because you are worried that the stool will get stuck as it passes?

“Come back when you’re done.”

“Yes.”

Amy and Linea are back.

Anyway, we took out the intestines and placed them on a separate metal tray, and moved on to the next organ. Amy started cutting out the large intestine.

“Okay. Do you know what the role of the captain is?”

“Create a change.”

“How does food turn into feces?”

“Well.”

“The large intestine absorbs water from the remains of digested food. This is how digested food turns into a solid form.”

I checked the appendix of the colon.

“Teacher Linea. Look at this.”

“Oh, yes.”

I stepped back slightly, and Linea reached out and took hold of the appendix. The connective tissue and blood vessels surrounding the appendix were separated.

“This is what we were talking about earlier. Last time, there was a patient who was hospitalized with inflammation, and the appendix was removed and treated.”

“It looks like it would be easy to cut. I guess it looks a bit like a tail… … .”

“Is that so?”

I thought the same thing when I first saw it.

The appendix looks like an organ that was made to be cut out. It is visible right when you open the abdominal cavity, and it sticks out.

“It’s just as the professor said. If you find the point where the abdomen is divided into three equal parts, from the navel to the protruding part of the pelvis, the appendix is located below that point.”

“Yes.”

“I honestly had a hard time believing how they cut out the appendix. After hearing the explanation, it started to make sense.”

Before modern medicine, before the invention of anesthesia and surgical hygiene, people thought that surgery would forever remain a risky business.

It was the same in the history of the world, and it was the same here. There were many people who didn’t believe that I actually removed a patient’s appendix.

Linea tilted her head.

“That’s really amazing. It means that they opened up the abdomen at this point, went in, removed the appendix, sewed it back up, and came out… … .”

Linea was deeply troubled.

“Will I ever be able to have surgery in my hometown? It seems really difficult.”

“It could be possible if you find a way to anesthetize and have hygiene. But I don’t know if opium would be enough to anesthetize. I’ve never tried it.”

Let me answer realistically.

“Well, if we can find a way to tie the patient up properly, we could possibly do the surgery without anesthesia.”

Linea opened her eyes wide.

****

Amy returned to the corpse and looked at the colon. It was dirty, with a lot of connective tissue surrounding it.

“Why is there a section where the colon goes up? It seems like an inefficient design.”

Amy finished separating the colon, and Linea shrugged as if she had no idea.

“I didn’t design it, so there’s nothing I can do about it… … . I was thinking about this while opening up my abdominal cavity.”

“Yes.”

“The angle is gentle. If there are sharp curves or twists in the colon, wouldn’t solid stool get stuck?”

“That could be possible.”

There are quite a few people who die from intestinal blockage or twisting. It is a disease that requires emergency surgery.

The colon is positioned as close to a straight line as possible, and it would have been worse if there had been no ascending section. It wasn’t all that strange.

“Anyway, if you’ve seen everything, let’s organize and leave.”

“Yes.”

The weather was cold, and the dissection room was colder than usual. The dissection practice was successful, but I also wanted to get out quickly.

We covered the body again with a cloth and put away the dissecting instruments.

“Please wash and disinfect your hands before coming.”

“Yes.”

We left the gloomy dissecting room. Linea was muttering something excitedly.

“Ah. It would be nice if I could do the autopsy in my hometown too. It’s difficult there.”

Yeah, that was a shame.

“It’s a necessary process, you know.”

“That’s right.”

Linea walked beside her, looking at the notebook she had been drawing in earlier. Amy followed along slowly, looking tired.

Well, Amy went to work yesterday too.

I thought it was understandable that you would be tired.

“I’ve dissected animals.”

“Yes.”

Linea kept talking about things all the way back to the lab. The patient she had seen before, the research she had done last time, the reactions people had shown when she had introduced her paper to the academic world.

****

Amy came home from work carrying her luggage. Linea was sitting in my lab with her legs crossed.

I looked at the pretty elf healer sitting in the lab. Linea tilted her head as if she had something to say.

“I know this may be rude, but I have a favor to ask, Professor Asterix.”

“What a coincidence. I also had a favor to ask of you, Teacher Linea.”

I opened my mouth at the same time as Linea.

“At Academy Hospital-”

“As a graduate student-”

“Please let me work.”

“Come in.”

It was a dream come true. I thought that Teacher Linea would naturally want to be my disciple.

“What… … . Your wish has come true, Professor Linea. Even if you work in my lab, in my ward, you are still working at the Academy Hospital, right?”

“Oh, Professor.”

“Why?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t plan on working as a graduate student or a resident. Can I work as a professor or clinical instructor at the academy?”

I shook my head.

“I don’t have the power to do that.”

“That’s such an obvious lie.”

Linea laughed.

This elf healer was, as always, shameless. It wouldn’t be hard to make Linnea a professor of healing, if we just pushed for it.

I scratched my head.

“I would like you to come as my disciple. You are a smart and capable student, and you will be a great help to the academic world.”

“So, these are all things I can do as a professor at the academy, right?”

Why doesn’t anyone want to be my graduate student? I sighed.

“I have no intention of letting you go. Go back.”

“Ying.”

Linea bowed her head.

I fold my arms. I have two choices for this elf healer: either join me as my disciple, or leave the Academy.

“Choose between the two. Teacher Linea can either come as my disciple, or you can just go back to your hometown.”

“Hmm. Isn’t there some compromise?”

“None.”

You can’t appreciate it after eating the cake. I waited for Linea’s reaction.

“I don’t want to be a graduate student… … .”

A few days ago, there was a diabetic patient whose leg had rotted and had to be amputated. His reaction seemed more painful than the patient whose leg had been amputated.

Tsk. I feel weak.

Neither the life of a trainee nor the life of a graduate student is worth experiencing twice. That should be respected.

“ done.”

“Do I have to go to graduate school?”

I nodded. As expected, the reason why graduate students didn’t come to me was because I was weak-hearted. Should I have just brought them here by force?

“Do as you wish. If you go to Dean Fisher and submit your documents, he will probably let you work at the Academy Hospital.”

“Please write a letter of recommendation.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Then. Can I use your name? I was going to explain that I came to the academy because of Professor Asterix’s research. And that I did an internship with you… … !”

“Good luck.”

Linea didn’t seem to notice the irony in her own words. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to have any ill intentions.

Linea grabbed my hand tightly.

“Thank you so much, Professor. I hope to see you as a colleague in a few days!”

I nodded. After a while, Linea let go of my hand.

****

Professor Fisher was a bit troubled. Who is this person, and what does he want? I can see that he looks very happy. Is he an undergraduate?

“Elf healer, Dr. Linea! I came here for Professor Asterix’s conference, and I wanted to work at the Academy Hospital.”

The question was quickly resolved.

“I see… …. What did Professor Asterix say? Did you see him?”

“I came to see you. I’ve been studying with Professor Asterix for the past few days.”

“So. You came here after doing research with Professor Asterix, and you want to work as a professor at the Academy Hospital?”

Professor Fisher sighed.

“Yes.”

“Did you talk to that professor?”

“Oh, yes.”

Professor Fisher didn’t think too hard about it. He just pretended to think about it. He was an elf, and he was a researcher working with Professor Asterix. There was no reason not to choose him.

Because there will always be a shortage of people anyway.

“We will review it positively.”

I felt a little uncomfortable, but… … I think the people working on the front lines will take care of it. In particular, Professor Asterix will probably take care of it.